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Since I was off from work (holiday, Good Friday) and nice weather (75 degrees) I thought I go looking for parts. I went to 4 junkyards.
Yard #1: This is a small local u-pull-it that usually only has 1 festiva, and 2 or 3 aspires. I try to go here 3 times a year hoping they might get in a festiva. Signed in, paid my 1 dollar,let the adventure begin! I got about half way through, and to my surpise was a 92 aqua blue Festiva L.(Jack Pot!) Paint looked good, had a few dents, little rust, Car looked good. Interior was bad, driver side door missing. Engine was complete and looked cleaner than mine. It had a good grill. I needed a few of the clips that hold the grill, so I removed them. I also removed the tail lights. Didn't really need them but they were in great shape. Found a shifter knob from an Escort and grabbed that. On my way out I saw a Red Mazda Protege LX. (93 or 95). Jack Pot!! Swoopy Mirrors, I thought. Once I got a closer look at the mirrors they looked a lot like the stock ones fom a Festiva, a little smaller but didn't look like Swoopys so i passed on them. I went to the office and the older woman that was at the counter said the tail lights would be 20.00. Than she said she made a mistake that they are 30.00. She didn't charge me for the shifter knob.(Easter Present,She said) The young guy at the counter ask me what the tail lights came off of and I told him a Festiva. He smiled and asked me if I wanted to sell my car. He always wanted one (he drives a Honda) since he lost to a Festiva at the track. The older woman was also looking to buy a Festiva too because they are so good on gas. I told them its not for sale.
Yard #2: I've never been to this one before but, drove past it hundreds of times. Its on this wooded back road with nothing else around. Looks more like a metal scrape yard that an auto junk yard. I thought way not. Went in and a sign said must sign in the office before entering. Since i didn't see an office I continued down the dirt road an came up on a garage. I ask the guy inside where the office was and he pointed down a road to the left. I got about 50 feet and another guy came out of nowhere and asked where I was going. To the office to sign in. He said that he was the one I needed to see and asked me what I was looking for. Festiva parts. He smiled and said he didn't have any left. He said when he did, he would take out the back seat and cut off the exhaust, put his torch and bottles in the back and use it as a yard car. He said he like them, tough little cars and ran them until they had nothing left. Then he scrapped them. I was a little sadden by this, that someone would abuse a festiva this way but I understand why. They are the right size for getting around in a junk yard, they can take a beating, and with the back seat removed there's alot of storage space.
Yard #3: I drove by this one a few times on a Saturday or Sunday but never seemed to be open. I pulled into the lot and found out why. They are closed on weekends. (Weird) Even though it looks like a junkyard its run like an autoparts store. Computerize Inventory, they have a sign out front that says they sell cars that were bought from insurance companys at were either considered totaled, stolen, or flood damaged. I went into the office,asked if they had any Festivas. He smiled and laughed and said he hasn't seen one in years. I asked him if he wanted to see mine. He smiled and laughed, and said there was another yard down the road that had older cars, I might find something there.
Yard #4: Didn't know about this yard. Walk up to the office, asked if they had any Festivas. The guy said he didn't know but if I signed in and paid a dollar I could go look. Ok, but I have to get my bucket of tools out of my car. He said let me stamp your had and you can come and go as many times as you want. (Reminds me when I used to go out to the Bars many years ago) Ok, the search is on! The fords were all the way in the back and to the left. Great! They can never be up front. Walked all the way to the back, not 1 Festiva of Aspire. To the right of the Fords was the imports.Maybe find a Mazda, and get something I could use. Nothing! Did find a Mercury Tracer mixed in the Imports and found 3 inside chrome door handles. Went back to the Ford Section and removed a hatch light from an Escort. Back to the office to pay for my parts. Big sign that read "METAL DETECTOR IN USE". Great! I have a bucket of tools, what do you think is going to happen? Walked through and set the darn thing off. Went to the office window, the woman asked what parts did I have and to put them on the counter. Then asked to look in my bucket. She said the tools must Have set off the Detector. (I thought to myself, wow she's really smart) I had to walk through the Detector without my bucket. Ok, I did, everything is find. Paid 19.00 for my 3 door handles and hatch light and left.
Is there a point to this long drawn out story? No not really,except that I spent 49.00 dollars, and 6 hours getting some parts that I really didn't need,when what I was hoping to find maybe a full console or some other rare parts. (not complaining about the money or the lack of parts) Infact is was a nice day,i was off from work, it was warm, got some freah air,exercise, and was a nice stress free and relaxing day. What more could you ask for? I think we could all use a nice stress free day once in a while.
Sorry for the long post, I was just bored and thought if somone gets bored this could be something that you might want to read.
Rich
Yard #1: This is a small local u-pull-it that usually only has 1 festiva, and 2 or 3 aspires. I try to go here 3 times a year hoping they might get in a festiva. Signed in, paid my 1 dollar,let the adventure begin! I got about half way through, and to my surpise was a 92 aqua blue Festiva L.(Jack Pot!) Paint looked good, had a few dents, little rust, Car looked good. Interior was bad, driver side door missing. Engine was complete and looked cleaner than mine. It had a good grill. I needed a few of the clips that hold the grill, so I removed them. I also removed the tail lights. Didn't really need them but they were in great shape. Found a shifter knob from an Escort and grabbed that. On my way out I saw a Red Mazda Protege LX. (93 or 95). Jack Pot!! Swoopy Mirrors, I thought. Once I got a closer look at the mirrors they looked a lot like the stock ones fom a Festiva, a little smaller but didn't look like Swoopys so i passed on them. I went to the office and the older woman that was at the counter said the tail lights would be 20.00. Than she said she made a mistake that they are 30.00. She didn't charge me for the shifter knob.(Easter Present,She said) The young guy at the counter ask me what the tail lights came off of and I told him a Festiva. He smiled and asked me if I wanted to sell my car. He always wanted one (he drives a Honda) since he lost to a Festiva at the track. The older woman was also looking to buy a Festiva too because they are so good on gas. I told them its not for sale.
Yard #2: I've never been to this one before but, drove past it hundreds of times. Its on this wooded back road with nothing else around. Looks more like a metal scrape yard that an auto junk yard. I thought way not. Went in and a sign said must sign in the office before entering. Since i didn't see an office I continued down the dirt road an came up on a garage. I ask the guy inside where the office was and he pointed down a road to the left. I got about 50 feet and another guy came out of nowhere and asked where I was going. To the office to sign in. He said that he was the one I needed to see and asked me what I was looking for. Festiva parts. He smiled and said he didn't have any left. He said when he did, he would take out the back seat and cut off the exhaust, put his torch and bottles in the back and use it as a yard car. He said he like them, tough little cars and ran them until they had nothing left. Then he scrapped them. I was a little sadden by this, that someone would abuse a festiva this way but I understand why. They are the right size for getting around in a junk yard, they can take a beating, and with the back seat removed there's alot of storage space.
Yard #3: I drove by this one a few times on a Saturday or Sunday but never seemed to be open. I pulled into the lot and found out why. They are closed on weekends. (Weird) Even though it looks like a junkyard its run like an autoparts store. Computerize Inventory, they have a sign out front that says they sell cars that were bought from insurance companys at were either considered totaled, stolen, or flood damaged. I went into the office,asked if they had any Festivas. He smiled and laughed and said he hasn't seen one in years. I asked him if he wanted to see mine. He smiled and laughed, and said there was another yard down the road that had older cars, I might find something there.
Yard #4: Didn't know about this yard. Walk up to the office, asked if they had any Festivas. The guy said he didn't know but if I signed in and paid a dollar I could go look. Ok, but I have to get my bucket of tools out of my car. He said let me stamp your had and you can come and go as many times as you want. (Reminds me when I used to go out to the Bars many years ago) Ok, the search is on! The fords were all the way in the back and to the left. Great! They can never be up front. Walked all the way to the back, not 1 Festiva of Aspire. To the right of the Fords was the imports.Maybe find a Mazda, and get something I could use. Nothing! Did find a Mercury Tracer mixed in the Imports and found 3 inside chrome door handles. Went back to the Ford Section and removed a hatch light from an Escort. Back to the office to pay for my parts. Big sign that read "METAL DETECTOR IN USE". Great! I have a bucket of tools, what do you think is going to happen? Walked through and set the darn thing off. Went to the office window, the woman asked what parts did I have and to put them on the counter. Then asked to look in my bucket. She said the tools must Have set off the Detector. (I thought to myself, wow she's really smart) I had to walk through the Detector without my bucket. Ok, I did, everything is find. Paid 19.00 for my 3 door handles and hatch light and left.
Is there a point to this long drawn out story? No not really,except that I spent 49.00 dollars, and 6 hours getting some parts that I really didn't need,when what I was hoping to find maybe a full console or some other rare parts. (not complaining about the money or the lack of parts) Infact is was a nice day,i was off from work, it was warm, got some freah air,exercise, and was a nice stress free and relaxing day. What more could you ask for? I think we could all use a nice stress free day once in a while.
Sorry for the long post, I was just bored and thought if somone gets bored this could be something that you might want to read.
Rich
But you know, the exercise does a body good!
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